The story of the 2017/18 crop cycle in the U.S. and the world is being written. However, only the first few chapters have emerged so far, and there will no doubt be many more to follow before the story is complete. Among those that stand out to date are the following:
Unless the crops presently being seeded in South America falter badly due to adverse weather conditions, 2017/18 will be the fifth consecutive year of very large world production of major row crops. The small U.S. wheat crop and the drought-damaged Australian crop have been offset by good wheat production elsewhere, most notably in Russia. We are not sure when a similar string of years with huge world crops last occurred (if ever), but it is certainly unique in modern agric...
What You Need to Know Today: After a period of limited activity, USDA reported a sizeable 613 KMT in soybean export sales, including 330 KMT to China and 283 KMT to unknown destinations, potentially also China. The purchases represent a meaningful pickup in demand and bring China closer to ful...
Key Takeaways: Consumer spending is a key driver of the U.S. economy, and the latest retail sales data indicate that spending remains robust despite inflation. In September, total retail and food service sales rose more than 6 percent year-over-year, with food service spending up 7 percent and...
The Trump import plan for 300,000 MT of beef supplies used for ground beef, i.e., lean trim, from September through November has, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins, brought some relief to beef prices. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Agriculture will analyze and review the m...
